Haiti's gangs have gained "near-total control" of the capital and authorities are unable to stop escalating violence across the impoverished Caribbean nation, senior UN officials warned Wednesday. An estimated 90% of the capital Port-au-Prince is now under control of criminal groups who are expanding attacks not only into surrounding areas but beyond into previously peaceful areas, including southern Haiti, Ghada Fathy Waly, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, told the UN Security Council.
As the AP reports, Waly said the state's authority to govern is rapidly shrinking as gang control expands with cascading effects. Criminal groups are stepping into the vacuum left by the absence or limited delivery of public services and are establishing "parallel governance structures," and gang control of major trade routes has paralyzed legal commerce, leading to soaring prices for cooking fuel and rice, Haiti's staple food, she said. UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca told the council that "without increased action by the international community, the total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario."
Gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 and previously were estimated to control 85% of the capital. Haiti has not had a president since the assassination. A UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police arrived in Haiti last year to help quell gang violence, but the mission remains understaffed and underfunded, with only about 40% of the 2,500 personnel originally envisioned. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' proposal in February to have the UN provide drones, fuel, ground and air transport, and other non-lethal support to the Kenya-led mission has languished in the council. Read more from the AP here.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
